A horozontal wind turbine is currently being trialled at the NZ Clean Energy Centre. It is possible that this may be used on buildings located within urban areas.
Clean energy is the second fastest growing industry in the world. It’s second only to the pharmaceutical industry. In New Zealand we are well positioned to lead the world as our scientists and engineers are at the forefront of developing renewable energy technologies.
So what does this have to do with houses? Heaps! We are now able, thanks to recent legislation, to generate our own electricity and feed any surplus back into the national grid to offset our electricity used. In the future, there is a strong probability we will be able to earn extra income from it. Installing a solar photovoltaic system may end up being a better proposition than the typical investment property!
So how does it work? You can have solar photovoltaic cells to power your electricity, a wind turbine or hydro generator. The wind turbine and hydro generator are only suitable in rural areas. The wind turbine has been refined and developed to suit the domestic market while the hydro generator is suitable only if you have running water such as a stream or brook. A vertical shaft wind turbine has now been developed and is currently undergoing testing. This would cater for the urban market as it would sit inconspicuously on rooftops within urban areas. Photovoltaic panels fitted to a roof area are the simplest system using the sun to power them.
In New Zealand we now have the opportunity to generate our own electricity and feed any surplus back into the grid. Power companies are now obliged to accept our excess (export) kilowatts and pay us up to an amount equal to our overall consumed (import) kilowatts that we take from the grid. This removes the need to have a bank of batteries to store the collected energy. The Clean Energy Centre in Taupo is currently receiving a dollar for dollar payback on kilowatts produced. This new customised building incorporating green architecture and the latest renewable technology is actually an energy positive building . This means it produces more energy than what it requires. At this stage there is no compensation from the power companies for surplus kilowatts supplied.
Check out the NZ Clean Energy Centre in Taupo. If you are passing through it’s definitely worth calling into, it’s on the old Napier Taupo road, just up from De Bretts Hot Pools.
